Blind Citizens News: July 2018

Welcome to the online version of Blind Citizens News. You can also read the Word version or listen to the audio version within each article.

List of Articles

Editorial
Welcome, readers, to the July issue of Blind Citizens News, my first as editor. And thank you to all the staff and members who have welcomed me, warmly and kindly, on board…

President’s Update
Those of you who have kept in touch with BCA’s work in recent times will be aware that our strategic priorities centre on building a sustainable organisation equipped to deal with future challenges…

Spread the Word About Inaccessible EFTPOS
Touch screen technology has now entered the retail industry, and it’s compromising the privacy, dignity and independence of people who are blind or vision impaired Australia-wide…

Immigration Advocacy: Two Recent Cases
Involvement with the Department of Immigration can be a harrowing process for anyone, but it is even more so for people with a disability. It is common for people with disabilities to be refused permanent residency in Australia…

Your Invitation – WBU Regional Assembly, Mongolia
Once every four years, representatives from the Asia Pacific Region of the World Blind Union come together for a Regional General Assembly. The 2018 Assembly will be held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia from September 10th to 12th…

On Blindness and Mental Health
It has taken me almost 50 years, and maybe I am a slow learner, but I feel like now I can admit that blindness does indeed affect my mental health…

Report from the National Women’s Branch
We are continuing to focus on the important subject of domestic violence and abuse against women, and are planning to develop a practical resource for women…

My NDIS Experience
Being a participant of the NDIS, I thought I would write about my experiences with accessing the scheme, from registration to accessing services…

Report from the National Policy Council
We know that nowadays, many of us receive services from generic providers, but in areas such as orientation and mobility, adaptive technology and occupational therapy, most of us still rely on services designed with the needs of blind people in mind…

My First Year as CEO: What I’ve Learned
Just over 12 months ago, I commenced as your CEO. There have been many highlights and just as many challenges, but thanks to the hard work of members, directors and staff, we can be very proud of what we have achieved together…

Letter to the Editor
Travel is one of the biggest challenges I personally face as someone who has been living independently for almost three years…

Your Advocacy is the Unique You
As I mingle and circulate, I often hear it said, “let’s face it, I can’t change this”. “It doesn’t matter what I do or say”. “My opinions do not count”…

Blind Citizens Australia is the united voice of Australians who are blind or vision impaired. Our mission is to achieve equity and equality by our empowerment, by promoting positive community attitudes and by striving for high quality and accessible services which meet our needs.

Editor’s Note

Blind Citizens Australia refers to our members as people who are blind or vision impaired. However, we respect the right of individual authors to use whatever language is most comfortable for them.

Publication information

COPYRIGHT: Reproduction of articles appearing in Blind Citizens News is permitted provided Blind Citizens News and the author(s) are acknowledged.

Large Print ISSN 1441-449X Braille ISSN 1441-565

Blind Citizens News is distributed in Large Print, Braille, and Audio. Electronic copies in text format are available on CD or by email. If you would like to receive Blind Citizens News in another format, please contact us.

Other Publications

SoundAbout Audio Magazine

Blind Citizens Australia Annual Report

Funding and Donations for BCA

BCA would like to acknowledge the generous work of the Jeffrey Blyth Foundation. The Foundation was formed in 1995 with BCA being the primary beneficiary.

We would also like to acknowledge our funding partners: The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Victoria, Vision Australia, the Australian Federation of Disability Organisations, Guide Dogs Victoria, and our generous members.

If you would like to make a donation to Blind Citizens Australia, you can call the Office on 1800 033 660, and use your credit card. You can also donate online. All donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Feedback for BCA

Do you have any compliments, suggestions or concerns you wanted to let BCA know about? You can do this anonymously by completing a feedback form or you can call the BCA Office toll free on 1800 033 660. Your feedback will be used to improve our services to better meet the needs of our membership

How to Make a Complaint About BCA

Any member, client, volunteer, or their advocate, can lodge a complaint about the services provided by BCA. Complaints can be made in the following ways:

If there are complaints of a serious nature, the Chief Executive Officer will ask that the complaint be put in writing.

Complaints will be recorded in accordance with the requirements for complaints management outlined by The Office of Disability Services Commissioner. Member and client privacy will be respected and protected in relation to the recording, management and resolution of the complaint.